New Directions, New Beginnings
by swimmergal06
Summary: What I hope to see Emma and Will's wedding to be like. Starts with the rehearsal dinner and goes from there!


**This is a product of what I felt like should happen for Will and Emma's wedding after the season finale last spring. With the premiere right around the corner, I edited it to include some information we have about the new season. Since we don't know when the wedding will actually take place, I used my imagination to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!**

Emma Pillsbury couldn't believe that this day had finally come. As she stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom, making sure she was satisfied with her appearance, she found herself wondering exactly how she had finally made it to this day.

Will was in the bedroom, making his final preparations to depart for their rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal for their wedding. Their wedding which would take place tomorrow. Emma couldn't help but smile as the thought crossed her mind.

It hadn't been easy to get to this point. He'd been married when they'd met, and then things had really gotten complicated with their failed first attempt at being together and Carl's sudden appearance in her life. But now she knew that it had all been worth it. She knew that because she and Will had gone through highs and lows before they had even been married they would be able to understand how the other felt, how to help each other through difficult times, and how to be better because of it. She knew without doubt that this was the right choice, and she was excited to start her life with him as a married couple.

A lot had changed in the past year of their lives. Their daily routine was still largely the same; they maintained their jobs at McKinley High, advising students, teaching Spanish, and generally avoiding Sue Sylvester at all costs. But she knew Will especially had had to adapt his life to account for the members of Glee club who were no longer high school students. After winning nationals the year before, he had been excited to start a new year working towards the same goal, but he quickly realized that without a majority of the original members of Glee club, the dynamics were quite different.

Many of the students Will had come to care for as his own children would be returning for the wedding, which she knew touched Will. Finn had arrived the week before, reporting for duty as best man after completing boot camp for the Army. Rachel and Kurt were both scheduled to fly in from New York, and although Britney had seemed unsure as to whether Santana was actually attending, Emma knew that the young girl would make every effort to attend the wedding. Although she put up a rough and sarcastic exterior, both Emma and Will knew that she was grateful for experience as a member of the Glee club and would do everything she could to make it back not just for the wedding, but for a reunion with the people she still refused to admit were her friends.

With a final glance in the mirror, Emma moved a single strand of her red hair into place and turned to enter the bedroom where Will was fixing his tie. She smiled as she watched him, loving the way he was still able to make her heart flutter when she looked at him. She loved the way his smile warmed her heart, and she knew that she would never tire of the way he looked at her with so much compassion and love.

"You look very handsome," she said softly, causing him to turn and look at her. "I think I'll marry you tomorrow."

Will smiled as he looked her up and down. "You look…beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it," he said softly. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said, stepping forward and resting her hands on his shoulders. "Are you nervous?"

"No," Will shook his head immediately, sure of his answer. "I've wanted this for three years now. I can't wait to call you my wife."

"I can't wait to be your wife," she said softly. "This is really happening."

Will smiled as he leaned in to kiss her softly. "Are you ready to go? We should get there before anyone else."

Emma reached for his hand and led him towards the door. "Did you hear from Finn?" she asked. "Did his tuxedo fit okay?"

"They had to let the arms out a bit, but they just did it right there in the store," Will said. "He doesn't think there will be a problem tomorrow."

"Good," Emma said as she settled into the passenger seat of Will's car. "I hope my parents are going to behave themselves."

Will reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. "They can't ruin our day if you don't let them," he said softly. "We're getting married tomorrow, Em. It's going to be the best day of our lives, and if you just don't let your parents control you I know you'll have a good time."

"You're right," she sighed. "I know you're right, it's just not that easy. I spent thirty years believing everything they had to say to me, and now I know they were wrong. But it's not so easy to just repress everything they say to me."

"Believe me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you," Will promised her. "I'll say it as many times as you need to hear it. I love you, and I know you're working so hard to get better from your OCD. That's who you are and I am so proud of you for working to make yourself a better person. Your parents don't understand that, but I do. It's our day, not theirs."

"Thank you," she whispered, smiling softly at him. "This is why I'm marrying you."

Will laughed as he pulled into a parking spot at the church where their wedding was to be held the following morning. After he put the car in gear and turned to smile at her as well. "Are you nervous?" he asked softly, referring to her question from moments before when they were still in their bedroom.

"No," she whispered. "Not about the marriage. About the wedding, making sure that everything goes according to plan and the caterers make sure to spray the counters after they put anything down on them."

"I think they'll remember after the checklists you handed out at the last food tasting," Will laughed. "It's going to be fine, Em. I promise."

"Thank you," Emma whispered, leaning in to kiss him softly. "We should go in."

Will nodded, stepping out of the car and reaching for her hand as they made their way into the church. After greeting both sets of parents and Emma's brother, Emma turned to the door and saw Will moving towards the entrance where Finn was standing, looking across the lobby with a wide expression on his face. She followed his gaze and saw Rachel standing against the wall, in conversation with Kurt. Emma realized that this was an interaction that she knew had the potential to be very awkward, and turned back to their families.

"Let's go make sure the decorations in the church are set up properly," she said, leading them into the chapel, casting Will a glance over her shoulder that read "good luck."

XXXXX

When Will Scheuster had asked his favorite student to be his best man, he had known that it was slightly unprofessional. But he had also known that Finn would no longer be in his school when the wedding took place, and had realized that Finn was the person who knew him best in the world.

Now things were more different than he had thought they would be, with Finn in the military and having his first reunion with his girlfriend in the lobby of his rehearsal dinner. He appreciated that Emma had recognized the awkwardness of the situation and asked their family to help her in the church, and made a mental note to thank her for it later.

"Finn," he said, acknowledging his best man's presence in the church. "You decided to show up after all!"

"Mr. Shue," Finn said, switching his attention from Rachel to the groom. "Of course I showed up. Best man, reporting for duty."

Will offered him a hug and then pulled back to smile widely at him. "What did we talk about? If you're my best man, you can call me Will. I'm not your teacher any more, I want you guys to think of me as a friend, not your teacher."

"It's not exactly an easy transition," Finn said. "But I'll try."

"Thanks," Will said, turning to look at the two of his former students in the corner, quickly pretending to be engaged in conversation to give the façade that they hadn't been watching the entire interaction. "Have you talked to her?"

"Not yet," Finn said softly. "I don't know…it's been so long since we've seen each other, I don't know how to approach her."

"Just talk to her, Finn," Will offered him the simple advice. "I'll go say hi with you."

Finn took a deep breath, and a moment later the two of them approached Rachel and Kurt with smiles on their faces. "Rachel, Kurt," Will offered them both warm smiles. "I can't tell you guys how much it means to me that you're here for my wedding."

"Of course we came," Rachel said, giving him a wide hug. "I'm so happy for you and Miss Pillsbury. You both deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, Rachel," Will said with a smile. "I want to hear all about New York. Kurt, I know you have some pretty exciting stories about making it in the theater business."

"You let Kurt Hummel loose in the big city, things are bound to happen," Kurt said. "But we couldn't miss your big day. There aren't many events that could bring me back to Ohio, especially now that Blaine has gotten mean."

Will knew that things between Kurt and Blaine had been on the rocks since Kurt had moved to New York. It was difficult living so far apart, and the effects had shown in Blaine's interactions with his peers at school. Gone was the positive, engaging young man who had joined the Glee club last year. In his place was an angry loner who refused to let anyone help him.

"Well, I can't wait to hear all about both of your stories," Will said, choosing to ignore Kurt's comments about Blaine. "We have to get things going for the rehearsal for now, as long as Emma's maid of honor is here. The rest of you guys should be here soon, but you guys are more than welcome to sit in the pews and watch the rehearsal. We want you all to be here, and the dinner will start as soon as we can make it over to the restaurant. The rest of the kids are meeting us here and then we can head on over."

"Sounds great," Finn said, his eyes still on Rachel. "You lead the way, Mr. Shue…Will."

The quartet made their way to the chapel where Emma was examining the flower arrangements at the altar. Will offered her a wide smile, basking in the knowledge that less than in less than twenty four hours she would be his wife.

"Sorry I'm late!" a voice rang from the doorway, and the group turned to see Emma's maid of honor Diana came rushing in. "Let's get this party started!"

Emma offered Will's hand a quick squeeze as she and her father made their way to the back of the church, along with Finn and Diana. Will smiled, standing beside the minister as they were directed through the logistics of the ceremony.

Will barely listened as the minister spoke, his mind instead marveling at the thought of how much had changed in his life over the past few years. Just two years ago, he'd been stuck in what he now knew to be an unhealthy marriage with Terri, telling himself that it would always be better in the future. He had since been through the divorce, and had thought he had lost Emma for good when Carl had come into the picture. She had since admitted that she had married Carl in an uncharacteristic moment of spontaneity in getting over her failed attempt to maintain a relationship the first time around.

Now, Will couldn't help feeling pride and excitement as he watched Emma walk towards him on her father's arm. She had come so far in the past few years, and although he knew that she would always be particular in her ways and need to have clean surroundings, she was now able to hold his hand without disinfecting first, and she could eat in a public restaurant without washing her silverware in the bathroom sink. She was learning how to live, and he was so proud of her for being able to overcome what he knew had been a challenging disorder, especially after her parents had made her feel as if she wasn't normal. But even though he hoped he had had something to do with giving her support and encouragement to improve her life, he hoped that she had done so for her own sake, so that she herself could be able to live a rich and full life, together with him.

"Hi," he breathed as she finally stopped in front of him, and when she smiled he fought the urge to ask the minister to officially marry them right then and there.

"Hi," she breathed, meeting his eyes with a loving smile.

"And at this point we'll start the vows," the minister started to lead them through the rest of the ceremony, and the entire time Will held Emma's gaze, loving the fact that they would be married by the following afternoon.

When they had finished the rehearsal dinner and the soon to be married couple had retreated to the back of the church, Will was beyond touched to see all of the members of his Glee club scattered throughout the church. Though he knew at one point they would have all sat together, they were now very clearly separated into the groups they had divided into. Kurt and Rachel sat with Quinn in the front of the church, Tina and Mike behind them. Blaine was sitting beside Santana, both of them sporting expressions that displayed boredom, and Puck sat beside Britney and the rest of the Cheerios. The members of the Glee club who were still active in the club were clustered in the middle of the chapel, watching the rehearsal take place.

"If we're all set, I'll see you all tomorrow," their minister stated, meeting them back up at the altar. "Congratulations, and have fun tonight."

"Thank you so much for your help," Emma said as they both reached out to shake his hand. "We really are very grateful."

"It's my pleasure, Emma," he said warmly. "Enjoy your dinner."

Will nodded his thanks, and then turned to the rest of their guests. "Well, the restaurant is expecting us," he said. "It's a twenty minute drive, so we'll plan on seeing you all there in about half an hour."

The crowds began to break up, and Will led Emma to their car, knowing that he would truly enjoy tonight not just because he wanted to spend the last night before his wedding with his future wife, but because he wanted to catch up with the young adults who had changed his life for the better in his life. With a glance at the mixed group of his students dispersing across the parking lot to their cars, Will felt a wave of excitement wash over him at the anticipation of what was to come for the rest of the weekend.

XXXXX

This entire evening had been perfect. As Will finished his dessert and placed his napkin beside his plate on the table, he turned to smile at Emma and knew that he had never been more content than he had been in that moment. His fiancé was beside him, his parents seemed to be enjoying themselves, and all the members of his Glee club were here and seemed to be happy to be back. It was perfect, and he knew that there was very little that could spoil this moment.

"Mr. Shuester," Tina's voice broke him out of his reverie, and he turned to smile at the girl who had come out of her shell so much in the past few years. "We have something that we want to say." She was surrounded by her peers, current as well as former Glee club members.

Will raised his eyebrows in curiosity, but nodded with a smile. "Alright, well, go ahead and say what you want to."

"That's the thing," Tina said, glancing at her friends around her. "You've taught us that music has so much meaning and much more power than just saying something. We've been practicing, and even those of us who don't live here anymore wanted to be part of it. You've touched all our lives and we wanted to wish you and Miss Pillsbury the best of futures. We want to sing it to you."

Unable to find the appropriate words to express his gratitude that his students recognized the work he put into the Glee club, Will simply nodded and smiled at the group of students who meant so much to him.

After a moment of taking formation and assembling in the proper order, Tina signaled the rest of the Glee club to start singing. After a moment, Will recognized the first lyrics of the somewhat stereotypical but completely appropriate wedding song "Bless the Broken Road." Not only did the words ring completely true about his and Emma's relationship, but he also recognized that it symbolized the journey that had taken him to taking on the challenge of teaching Glee Club and making all of these students' lives for the better.

Emma reached for his hand at the second chorus, and he offered her a loving smile before he leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. She was just as affectionate for these students, having taken a special interest in their well being after she realized how much each of them meant to Will. She knew as well as any of them how powerful music could be, and she was aware of how emotional this touching song would make him.

As the final notes of the song faded away, Will stood and walked around the table, offering his thanks with hugs and words of gratitude. Emma followed suit and did the same, until each of them had thanked each of their students.

"Guys, that was incredible," Will shook his head. "I can't believe that you were able to coordinate that from all over the country."

"Well, we had a really great teacher, Mr. Shuester," Rachel said. "I know I wouldn't be in New York today if it weren't for everything you taught me. We're all still a family, even if we're not together every day, and that's because we have all learned so much from you and are so grateful for all that you've given us. This is the least we can do to show how much we care."

"I can't thank you guys enough for coming," Will said. "I know I keep saying it, but I really am so glad that you're willing to travel so far to share this day with me. Emma and I are so proud of everything that you have done and everything we know that you are going to do in the future."

"We are glad that you're finally going through with it," Artie said. "The two of you have gone back and forth more times than Rachel and Finn."

"Hey, we were kids," Finn interjected. "There's always drama in high school romances."

"Whatever," Puck said, looking up from his cell phone. "When does this party really start?"

"Unfortunately the real party is tomorrow," Will said. "And I've already told the bartenders to watch for your fake ID."

"Well, it's the rehearsal dinner, right?" Puck asked. The point is to rehearse what we're going to be doing tomorrow night. Let's get some music up in here."

"We might as well," Emma agreed. "We should really practice our dance anyways, we haven't really danced in front of people before."

"I guess it couldn't hurt," Will said. "Dancing is never a bad thing."

After he had queued their song on his phone and set it on the table, he reached for her hand and pulled her close in the middle of the tables set up in the banquet room. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her close, basking in the feeling of holding her for what would probably be the last time before they were married. They were silent for a few moments, swaying to the music and allowing the lyrics to wash over them in the moment of complete happiness they were both lost in.

"I love you so much," Will's voice broke their contented silence, and Emma pulled her head from his shoulder to smile up at him.

"I love you too," she breathed. "It's good to see the kids all together again."

"I don't think I realized how much I missed them until this moment," Will admitted. "I know some of them have gone through a lot over the past year and I wish I could help with that. I have been keeping in touch with Finn and I know that he and Rachel are somewhat in limbo. Blaine and Kurt have obviously had some problems, but having Kurt here could hopefully bring them back together."

"They're kids, Will," Emma said softly. "You were there once too, remember?"

Will was silent for a moment, remembering how sure he had been the year after high school that he would never love anyone more than Terri. That was why he had married her, and it had obviously been a huge mistake.

"I guess you're right," he said softly. "Sometimes I wish that I had waited longer before asking Terri to marry me. Then we might not have lost all that time."

"You couldn't have known that it was the wrong decision," Emma said softly. "And I know that things didn't go exactly according to plan with us, but the point is that we got here. We're getting married and we're going to spend the rest of our lives together."

Will leaned in to kiss her softly. "You're right, as always," he said. "I am so glad that I have you in my life, bringing complete perspective and meaning back into my life."

Emma sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder, loving the way in which his arms tightened around her waist and his head bent down to bury his face in his neck. This moment was what she had wanted for as long as she could remember, and she knew that tomorrow would be the most amazing day of her life. Her dress was pressed and hanging in the hotel room she and Will would spend the following night in, her shoes were freshly polished, and she would wake bright and early to make sure she made it to her hair and nail appointments at least a half an hour ahead of schedule. Everything was going according to plan, and she knew that she would not even care if something did go wrong. Usually so completely in a control of every aspect of her life, she was quickly realizing that she didn't care if something went wrong the following day. As long as she ended the day as Will's wife, she would never be able to regret anything about the day.

The song ended all too quickly, and she smiled as she pulled out of his arms regretfully. "You should catch up with the kids," she said softly. "Diana's spending the night with me in the hotel, and we should probably make our way over there to make sure we can get up in time to wake up for our appointments in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Will asked. "I can drive you guys over there if you want me to."

"It's okay, really," Emma said. "Tomorrow's going to be a busy day, you might not get a chance to catch up with them."

"Okay," Will said, leaning in to kiss her softly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be the one in white," Emma whispered.

"And I'll be the one waiting at the altar," Will replied. She kissed him goodbye one final time before she reached for her handbag and left the restaurant with Diana, offering him one final smile over her shoulder.

Will took a deep breath before he raised his eyes to look at the ceiling.

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.


End file.
